In some parts of Illinois, the amount of snow that's fallen so far is more than an entire winter season, according to the National Weather Service. In places like Hoopeston, there has been as much as 30.7 inches of snow as of Jan. 27. Chicago has had three major snowstorms this month, including the past one this Sun., Jan. 26, and two others with windchill factors as low as 37 degrees below zero.

And when there are breaks between snow, car owners line up to get their cars washed. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recommends car owners wash their car as much as possible during the winter season to avoid rust from salt damage.

But while car owners may be paying attention to the snow outside and the exterior of their cars, are the same owners making sure their car is prepared for winter emergencies should drivers end up stuck on the road? The 2011 Lake Shore Drive debacle was a prime example of Chicagoans being stuck on the road for hours. Check out the checklist above to make sure the inside of a car is winter ready, too.

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Shamontiel graduated from Lincoln University (MO) with a bachelor's in English. Although her degree requirements included journalism courses, she initially had no interest in working with newspapers and focused solely on books and magazines. However, during her copy editing days, she became agitated looking at the amount of news stories that were being ignored or not covered at all in mainstream newspapers. That changed her views on journalism and her career goals. She's since freelanced for Yahoo! News, worked for five years at the Chicago Defender and Chicago Tribune newspapers as a Digital News Editor, and is now working on a continuing education column with CBSLocal. Her focus as a reporter ranges from environmentalism to politics to social and cultural entertainment. For feedback and press queries, contact her at Shamontiel.com.